


Off My Mind

by w0nderkids



Category: Men's Football RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Artists, First Meetings, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-16
Updated: 2020-09-16
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:00:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26500279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/w0nderkids/pseuds/w0nderkids
Summary: Marc is an artist stuck in an art block. He decides to draw something -or someone- new.
Relationships: Bernd Leno/Marc-André ter Stegen
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	Off My Mind

**Author's Note:**

> If you saw this on Tumblr first, don't worry, that's my other account.   
> That being said, hope you enjoy this one!

Marc has been trying to get out of his comfort zone for days.

He had long ago defined his art style and perfected it to be comfortable with it, but lately he was getting bored of always drawing the same things. 

He tried to modify his style slightly, but he kept going back to his usual style. Sometimes he was so frustrated with himself that he would draw only to release his emotions, without thinking too much about the anatomy -if one arm was shorter than the other or if one eye was larger than the other, it didn’t matter- and would get even more frustrated when he noticed that they looked so much better than his usual drawings, and that just made him want to throw all his sketches to the trash.

He tried listening to new music, new foods and drinks, also series and movies, but nothing could inspire him enough. It just felt like something was missing.

This also affected his Instagram account. For days, he hadn’t posted anything, mainly because no drawing was good enough to share it, and although he tried to explain his situation in a story, he lost some followers. It wasn't like they mattered too much anyway, the numbers weren't  _ that  _ important, but it was still a bit frustrating knowing that there were people who weren't able to be patient with him.

But today, he would try to change.

He carried his backpack with his sketchbook, a couple of black and colored pencils and went to a coffee shop that he discovered a few days ago thanks to an advertisement. The place seemed cozy, with a lot of plants around it and also with a small library inside. It sounded like the perfect place to draw. 

When he arrived, some indie music welcomed him as soon as he opened the door. It really fit with the aesthetic of the place, and the paintings and drawings made by different artists that decorated its walls gave it the perfect touch. It was almost as if the place was designed for him.

He chose a table with two chairs. In the other, he put his backpack. And when a waitress approached him with the menu, he just ordered a medium-sized cappuccino, since he wasn’t really hungry. 

Marc took out his notebook and his pencil case. He stared at an empty sheet for a few seconds, not knowing what or whom to draw to practice with.

As if someone could hear his thoughts, he noticed that there was a man sitting at another table who looked his age. A laptop was in front of him, but he held a book in his left hand. For a moment, Marc looked around, and then at the man once more. Then, he began to sketch him.

Still, it felt strange. He had seen plenty of people on YouTube and on blogs recommending their followers to observe real life things and draw them. They almost always talked about drawing people they saw passing by, animals or food, but Marc didn’t have the courage to look at the same person every ten seconds. What would they think of him? They’d think he was crazy, or worse, that he was a stalker, and Marc hated that feeling. But if maybe he tried to do it discreetly, he could do it. After all, he was following the recommendation:  _ get out of your comfort zone _ .

When he looked up once more, the man was still staring at his laptop. He didn't seem to notice that Marc was staring at him, so he kept drawing, now making a quick sketch of his posture and face.

It was easier to draw his posture than his face. After all, he only had to draw a figure sitting at a table with a laptop. But when it eventually came the time to draw his face, Marc raised his head once more. At first he was able to sketch the outline of his face and hair, but when he wanted to draw his eyes and nose, he noticed that now the man was looking in his direction, and his heart started to beat like crazy.

At least he wasn't looking at him, but instead at a point close to him, like he was trying to remember something. Marc couldn't stop looking at him, and when he noticed that now their gazes had definitely met, he immediately lowered his head, totally embarrassed.

_ Well done Marc, now he'll think you are a freak _ .

He only had one job. Observing someone and drawing them without them realizing it, and he had failed miserably. If he had tried to be a little bit more discreet, the drawing would already be finished a few minutes ago. Still, he tried to draw the boy as best he could without looking up again. He painted his eyes, hair and clothes with the same black pencil and closed his sketchbook. His motivation to keep practicing had suddenly disappeared, so he grabbed his phone and opened Instagram to see his latest notifications. 

Luckily -or not- he had to raise his head once more as the waitress had brought his order. 

After a couple of minutes exploring the home page, he closed his phone. He glanced out the window in front of him discreetly, and then took one last look at the man for less than a second. Luckily he wasn't looking at him this time, but now he had put the book aside to focus completely on his laptop. 

Marc felt the need to go to the bathroom, but when he realized that to do so he  _ had  _ to pass by that man’s side, he sighed in frustration. It was amazing how the day seemed to be against him. What would he say if he looked at him? Or worse, what if he tried to talk to him? No. It was too much.

Suddenly he had a wonderful idea.

He took his notebook and a pen and on the sheet on which he had drawn the boy he wrote “ _ Sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I was practicing _ ” with a shaky hand followed by his name. He tore off the page and closed the notebook to put it back in his backpack. 

When he saw that the waitress was nearby, he asked for the bill and paid without finishing his coffee at all.

He got up from his seat and went to the bathroom with the drawing in his hands. 

When he was a few steps from the boy's table, his heart began to pound and his back began to sweat. He put the drawing on the man’s table as fast as he could without stopping, and when he got to the bathroom he closed the door behind him, breathing in relief, as if he had run a marathon. 

When he came out of the bathroom and dried his face and hands with cold water, he almost ran to his table to grab his backpack and leave the coffee shop, without looking back.

At least he made his intentions clear, although a new insecurity popped in his head within seconds. What if he didn't like the drawing? What if he thought it was some kind of insult? 

He headed for his bike to get back home, putting on his headphones and trying to forget his own thoughts.

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know if I should turn this into a series or just leaving it as a one-shot. Let me know what you think! x


End file.
